Our modern culture can be a confusing mess sometimes. If you're getting tired of the high highs and the low lows that our media seems to encourage and are looking for something more stable and fulfilling, you can find this true happiness (and wikiHow can help!).

Create a positive mindset. Start by noticing negative thoughts when they come to you. Acknowledge them, then counter them with positive thoughts. You can also choose a positive affirmation for yourself, which you can repeat throughout the day to keep your thoughts on track.[1]XResearch source

Try to look for positives even in difficult situations. For example, consider lessons you've learned or people you met.

Learn to see failure as a challenge, giving you the opportunity to grow.

Embrace yourself as you are. Accept yourself just as you are because you're already amazing! You can, of course, change as a person but you should never feel like there's something wrong with you just as you are now. Stop demanding perfection and embrace your faults![2]XResearch source

Increase your confidence. You will be better able to pursue the things you want if you have the confidence it takes to go and take those things for yourself. Improve your confidence so that you feel better and take life by the horns.

Build your self-esteem. Learn to love yourself and care for yourself. This is one of the most important parts of living a happy life. Even if you have very few material possessions, you can be happy if you love yourself and are happy with who you are and where you're at. Remember how wonderful you are and all of the things you accomplished, and keep in mind all of the things you're going to accomplish. Embrace your faults and avoid holding yourself to an unattainable standard of perfection. Nobody is perfect!

Learn to have gratitude toward yourself and your life. Be thankful for what you already have and the things you've done.

Change for yourself. Never change for anyone but yourself. If you have things that you don't like about yourself because you don't like them, then you can always work to change. But if people put conditions on whether or not they like you, then they're never going to really like you and you won't be able to change anyone. It's hard for people to change, and you'll only be able to do it at all if you really, really want to.

Don't overthink things or fall prey to social pressure! Remember the phrase, "You do you." Your only competition should be yourself, and you should only change because you want to be better.

Ignore the haters. Haters gonna hate. There are always going to be people that are just so miserable in their own lives that they feel the need to pick on you. But don't let their misery spoil things for you or get you down about yourself. Basically, they suck and they aren't worth your time. Ignore them and hope that their lives get happier someday.

Give yourself what you need. Do things to make yourself happy. Let yourself have something special every now and again. Focus on your physical, spiritual, and emotional sides. Don't get so focused on one that you ignore another. Try to get in touch with the things that make you happy and then do those things!

Respect people. When you respect others and treat them the way that you would want to be treated, then they in turn treat you better and you get to feel better about yourself at the end of the day. Remember: humans are social creatures. We need each other to survive and be happy. Don't drive people away by being a jerk.

Give as much as you get. In your relationships, whether they're friendships or romantic relationships, you need to offer as much of yourself to others as you ask from them. You will only get out of relationships what you're willing to put in. Love people, make sacrifices, work for the good of everyone, and don't be selfish.

Recognize, however, when someone is abusing you. If someone does things that show that they don't care about you, such as insulting you or hurting you, then cut them out of your life. They will only destroy your happiness.[3]XResearch source

Help others. One of the greatest senses of fulfillment that you can get comes from helping other people in a significant, tangible way. If you want to increase your own happiness, try helping others.[4]XResearch source You can make it a point to be more helpful to people in your life, or you can do something like volunteer in your community.

Celebrate positives. Don't be jealous of people. All that does is make you unhappy. Instead, be happy for people when things go well! Be genuinely happy for them and try to focus on living vicariously or learning from their success, rather than letting yourself think that they never earned it and you never get anything nice.

Accept faults. People are different and absolutely everyone on Earth has faults. Focusing on someone's faults and letting it make you angry or unhappy is only going to make everyone's life worse. Embrace the idea that their differences make life more interesting and move on with your life.

Communicate. Communication is key to social happiness. When someone hurts you or lets you down, it's usually because of a miscommunication. When you feel ignored or your friendships suffer, it's because there isn't enough communication going on. Make a point of talking to people more and encouraging more open, honest dialogue.

Open yourself up to experiences. If you want to find the career for you, a good first step is to find out what makes you happy. But sometimes we don't know what makes us really happy because we've never tried it before. Open yourself up to new experiences and you might surprise yourself.

Take some time away from your typical routine and environment. This will help you take a step back from your life and see yourself clearer.

Break down why you enjoy what you do. Identify the jobs that you like and what it is exactly about your dream career that you find so captivating. Really break it down to its key element. Not everyone can be something like a rock star or a famous artist, but there is more than one job that lets you enjoy the fun part of it.

Ask yourself the following questions to help you determine what you enjoy: Would you do this type of work for free? How would you spend your free time if you had no obligations?

For example, if you want to be a rock star, is it that you enjoy being the center of attention? Maybe you enjoy creating things. Or maybe it's getting to listen to music. There are more accessible careers that let you do these things!

Follow that passion. Once you find out what specific thing it is that makes you feel happy and fulfilled, follow that passion until you have a career that's focused on doing that thing. If you're doing work that caters to your passion, then you'll love getting up every morning and you won't feel awful when you go to bed at night.

Find out how to succeed. Find out what you need to do in order to get the career you want and then work to do that. Look for advertisements for your ideal job and look at the requirements they want. Don't feel restricted by what you see: there are ways to go back to school, even if money is a problem.

Keep moving forward. Keep going, keep working your way up, and never, ever give up. Keep giving yourself new goals.[5]XResearch source The second you stop working to be better is the second you feel unfulfilled and bored.

Learn a new skill. Maximize your enjoyment of your life by learning to do something that you enjoy and that you can be proud of. Everyone has something that they've always wanted to learn how to do. You're alive...so why aren't you doing it? Make time and pursue the things that you want to do.

Spend time outside. Get outside. When we spend too much time inside, we begin to feel trapped in our repetitive lives. We also tend to forget just how amazing the world is. Did you know that there's a tree in Utah that's 80,000 years old? Or that Blue Whales have a heart the size of a mini-van? Embrace feelings of amazement about the natural world, rather than letting yourself get all jaded.

Exercise more. Forget about getting thin and hot: that's not important. What is important is that you feel healthy and strong, and you build the habits that lead to a long life. Being out of shape or unhealthy may make you feel only a bit gross during the day, but when you start getting in shape you'll be surprised just how much better you feel.

Travel, anywhere. Traveling will open you up to a wealth of experiences and people that you would never have even known about if you just stay at home on the Internet all day. Get out and go places, even if they're not very far away. Ditch the tourist routine for a local experience if you want to gain even more incredible experiences.

Take risks. If you keep your life safe and same-y, you'll never get anything really wonderful or new. You can't wait for amazing things to fall into your lap because they most likely never will. Getting real rewards means taking risks in life. Just make sure that you weight the risk vs the reward and make sure that it's worth it to you (but sometimes you're just going to have to push that boundary a bit).

In a way, everything is a risk. Don't hold yourself back from something you love!

Stay committed to your obligations and personal goals. Don't be swayed by how you feel in the moment. Letting your emotions sway you will let you down in the long run, as they are temporary. If emotions control you, they'll leave you unhappy. Committing to something and working toward it will lead to happiness.[6]XResearch source

Seize the moment. Take an active role in your life, taking initiative and opportunities. This will give you the chance to explore everything that life has to offer. Hesitate too much, and you'll just watch life pass you by.

Start by doing one thing every day. Overtime, this will add up![7]XResearch source

Accept change. Change is going to happen, whether you want it to or not. If you spend a lot of energy and build a lot of stress trying to fight changes, you're never going to be happy. Accept changes, even if they're bad ones. If something's really bad, you can always find a way to fix the problem or make it better. But you don't want to fight a blessing in disguise.

Prioritize. Unhappy people tend to have their priorities completely out of order. Check yours. If you value your car more than your children, you're going to live an unhappy life. A wise man once said of material wealth: "You can't take it with you".

Appreciate the good things. When good things happen to you, you should celebrate them and enjoy every moment of them, instead of worrying about when you'll lose them or just wanting more. This will maximize the enjoyment that you get out of life.

Don't sweat the tough things. When bad things happen, don't let it get you down. The situation is only temporary, because all things in life are temporary. Work to improve your situation and just keep telling yourself: this too shall pass.

Let yourself enjoy the world. Never hold back on your happiness. We learn, as we get older, to mute our emotions or be ashamed of them. Stop worrying about what someone will think about your joyful glee that there's going to be another season of Almost Human and just be happy. Your happiness should never be muted by the stupid opinion of someone else. Let them go and be miserable, you just have a good time.

First, get a physical to determine if there is a biological cause for your mood swings. Look into your diet as well, as sugar and caffeine can contribute to mood swings. See a mental health professional as well to help determine the cause of your mood swings, if there is no biological cause.

I really don't feel happy at all. I want to change myself, but I'm depressed, and I'm slowly giving up. My mother is one of the options that keeps me depressed. I can't decide well what to do. What can I do?

Start by surrounding yourself with more optimistic people. Then, engage in more activities that you find enjoyable. This should help you gain momentum to keep going forward and take more positive steps.

Age is measured by the knowledge we gain and the experiences we have, and not merely by the passage of time. Experience new things and keep on learning. Take steps to achieve goals that you've always had.

I'm depressed, but I'm aware life is short. I don't seem to enjoy it and want to die. What should I do?

Tom De Backer

Top Answerer

Life is the longest thing you'll ever do. A few things are certain as soon as two people - without consulting you first! - decided to create and give birth to you. You will need food and shelter, you will pay taxes, and you will die. Even if you do nothing, at the end of your life, you will die. You don't have to take any steps in life to make it possible to die, that's already taken care of. I also like a quote by Per Olov Enquist: "One day I will die, but all others I will not." The antidote to depression is to talk to someone, preferably a psychologist. And always remember: this is your life; if you don't enjoy it, change it instead of ending it.

One of the toughest things to do is to get back up after a knock down. Have one manageable goal and then divide it into several small goals. Celebrate whenever a small step is achieved. That way you will learn to believe more in yourself and what you can do. And with self-love and trust comes happiness. Remember - it is important to take breaks. Go for a walk and smile at the lovely weather and flowers outside. If it rains, be the person who stands laughing outside, letting the rain embrace you. Many worries are so much smaller than you think. You need to look at the grand scheme of things and appreciate the natural everyday things in life. Things we often take for granted.

The most important thing in life is to understand yourself and your needs. Be with your love and life, and feel the magic of your life; there are no barricades in front of you. The thing which lies in front of you is just your good and nothing else.

Some people might get mad at you for being so happy and living a stress-free life and will try to rain on your parade. Just remember it's always fun to dance in the rain. In other words, don't let that person get what they want or else you might end up sad and depressed just like them.

To live happily, build up your self esteem by giving yourself what you need to be happy, like time for yourself or a fun class to build your confidence. If you can’t follow your passions in your career, find an alternative in your hobbies, such as taking music lessons instead of being a rockstar or starting a blog instead of being a novelist. You can also spend time outside and get more exercise, as both a way to care for yourself and meet interesting new people. To learn more from our Professional Counselor co-author, like how to love and respect other people to stay happy, keep reading the article!

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 263,123 times.

Reader Success Stories

A

Anonymous

Jun 4, 2016

"This article has given me a lot of inspiration to give importance to myself. Until today, I didn't know how to give importance to myself. I hated myself. But after reading your article, I got to know that giving importance is so essential to live happily . Thank you very much."..." more

EC

Elliot Chen

Apr 4, 2016

"Thank you so much for preparing these tips. They help me a lot to clear my mind for gaining happiness and offers many useful and inspired methods to improve my happiness. I sincerely wish more people will benefit from this."..." more

HB

Hima Bindu

Oct 4, 2016

"The topics on wikiHow are explained in a very simple manner. My life is totally changing with the topics I am searching in wikiHow. Thank you for beautiful posts and pictures."..." more

YT

Yara Tarek

Apr 27, 2016

"Was really upset and struggling with thoughts about wanting to die. This really helped. Thanks a lot."

YT

Yara Tarek

Apr 27, 2016

"Advice on learning to love yourself helped me because I often struggle with self-confidence."

"This article has given me a lot of inspiration to give importance to myself. Until today, I didn't know how to give importance to myself. I hated myself. But after reading your article, I got to know that giving importance is so essential to live happily . Thank you very much."..." more

EC

Elliot Chen

Apr 4, 2016

"Thank you so much for preparing these tips. They help me a lot to clear my mind for gaining happiness and offers many useful and inspired methods to improve my happiness. I sincerely wish more people will benefit from this."..." more

HB

Hima Bindu

Oct 4, 2016

"The topics on wikiHow are explained in a very simple manner. My life is totally changing with the topics I am searching in wikiHow. Thank you for beautiful posts and pictures."..." more

YT

Yara Tarek

Apr 27, 2016

"Was really upset and struggling with thoughts about wanting to die. This really helped. Thanks a lot."

YT

Yara Tarek

Apr 27, 2016

"Advice on learning to love yourself helped me because I often struggle with self-confidence."